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Methwood
The Methwood was, as of 1372 DR, a dense forest in Unther inhabited by chimeras, druids and the green dragon Skuthosiin. It was rumoured that a potentially ancient city of the Turami was lost in the forest. As of 1374 DR, a cell of the Eldreth Veluuthra, led by Talindra Amalith of the Vel'Nikeryma, operated in the forest. Overview of the Methwood This large, hot woodland is filled with cypress, date palms, cedar, juniper, and mulberry trees, with lots of vine growth. The vegetation is very thick and difficult to travel through without using a blade to cut the thick vines. In ancient times, Unther had a number of druids and nature worshipers who built great, tiered homes in the trees; now there are no intelligent creatures native to these woods, and the tree-homes are overgrown, monster-haunted ruins. Near the center of the forest are quite a few groups of vicious chimerae, each of which guards its' territory fiercely. The old green dragon Skuthosiin once laired here, and scoured the edges of the Methwood and beyond in search of food. There are a number of monkeys, elephants, leopards, and other, less dangerous, creatures within the confines of this forest. It is said that within the heart of the Methwood are the ruins of a great lost city of the original Turami inhabitants of Unther. If so, it has never been found, not even by the adventurers of Unther at its' zenith, and most dismiss this legend as mere fancy. Locations Within Methwood The Coldwood The Coldwood is a special, fell place of great peril. At the heart of what is now the Coldwood, a great and majestic elven city once stood. Crafted from living woods, marble, silver, and even ice, the City of the Summer Stars was home to perhaps 2,000 grey elves. They were an introverted, studious, mystical people, and they sought no dominion outside of their homeland. The spells and lore known to them are virtually beyond comprehension in Faerun now. By a wave of her hand, Queen Sharafere could make the winds ripple through all the endless miles of the great forest, and summon treants, and the beasts and birds of the forest to her glittering palace. The demise of this race is a dreadful tragedy that few alive today know of. Those who do know the tale do not speak of it. The City of Summer Stars recieved emissaries from the fledgling Untheri. Those necromancers and wizards spoke honeyed words, but Sharafere saw the lust for magical power in their hearts and sent them away. In their rage and desire to posess the magic of the elves, the Untheri brought their own magic to assault the city. Fire and acid rained down from the skies. Fiends stalked the forests. Bulettes, xorn, and other monsters erupted from the very earth to strike at the foundations of the city. Sharafere knew the city could withstand this assault, but the forest was screaming its agony at the defoliation and slaughter that covered hundreds of square miles. The undead and monsters of the invaders seemed countless; the elves slew thousands and still the Untheri mounted wave after wave of attack. Sharafere's eldest son, Darnakurian, could take no more. A peerless enchanter, he called on many sources of power, even those from across the planes. From corners of the void, voices came to him, seducing him with the promise of supreme power--power that could destroy the Untheri and save the city and the forest. Darnakurian grew gaunt and sleepless, barely ceasing his work to memorize more of the spells he needed in his race against time. Finally, he crafted the appalling sword the elves named Hunger. Marching to the throne room, he presented it in triumph to his mother as the instrument by which the elves could triumph and banish their evil foes. Sharafere was appalled. The weapon's evil was apparent to her, even hidden beneath the waves of magical power that emanated from it. She ordered him to destroy the malign sword, at which Darnakurian was aghast. Driven half-mad with bitter anger at what was happening to the forest and frustration at the thought that his work was valueless in his mother's eyes, he raised the sword and slew her in the Palace of the Heavens. As he looked down at her body, the enormity of his crime came over him, and the elf-prince was plunged into madness, his mind broken. He fled into the forest and came upon a conclave of necromancers. Then his doom came upon him in earnest. Darnakurian slew thousands in a matter of hours. His sword cut a great swath of horrific deaths before him as he charged the Untheri and drove them in terror from the forest. Finally, the elf-prince took himself back to the city. So weak was he by now that the sword controlled him utterly, and it drove him to slay his own people in the hundreds. Every gray elf in the City of Summer Stars either fled never to return, or perished in that single day. Bitterness At the heart of the Coldwood, the old City of the Summer Stars has simply disappeared. The magic of the elves has faded, and the city with it. All the city is gone from Faerun - save Darnakurian's own keep. The elves named this "Bitterness," a word with a more intense double meaning in elvish than in the Common tongue. It refers both to the dreadful tragedy of the prince, and also to the intensely bitter chill that gives the Coldwood its' name. The Coldwood generally has temperatures below zero, but within five miles of Bitterness the temperature is virtually unbearable; all vegetation is frozen into stark, leafless formskilled by the black permafrost that covers everything. Spells such as control temperature, 10' radius and magical items such as boots of the north are powerless to negate this bitter chill, or to protect characters from its' effects. No living man has ever entered Bitterness. Within it, Darnakurian is still alive - in some sense. A powerful temporal stasis spell, crafted by the last of the great grey elf wizards before they fled the city, imprisons him. He still holds Hunger on his lap as he sits frozen, staring out blindly into the great marbled hall of his home. No living creature is going to get anywhere near Bitterness if the guardians who prowl the margins of the Coldwood have their way. These gray elves are known as the Sentinels. Twenty of them patrol around the Coldwood, each one a fighter/mage of great power (each has 20+ levels, split between the two classes). They have special magical defenses, with 80% magic resistance and complete immunity to illusions and disabling spells such as hold, charm, domination, and the like. They posess formidable magical items, with many holding rings of human control to keep potential intruders at bay. Some Sentinels are gray elves from the old city itself, close to the limit of their years. When a Sentinel grows old and the time comes for him to pass from the world, another takes his place, usually sent by Queen Amlaruil of Evermeet. The Sentinels warn intruders not to enter the Coldwood, telling them of the dangers. Remorhaz and white puddings prowl the intensely cold area of permafrost. Elementals, golems formed of ice as hard as steel, and many still more dangerous magical guardians stalk the twisted wood. Great necrophidii (4-10 HD) are the most numerous. The Sentinels invariably know when anyone approaches within a mile of the Coldwood, and they can teleport instantly to any point on its' margins to warn off such folk. The frozen spider's webs around the Coldwood also are said to be a magical detection system alerting them to visitors. The Sentinels do not speak of themselves or of exactly what the Coldwood contains. They say simply that great evil and danger lurk within, and that the magical stasis containing that evil must not be disturbed. They will not permit entry. Their own enchantments make it impossible for anyone to enter by planar travel, teleporting and other magical means. If need be, the Sentinels will fight to prevent anyone from entering. They prefer to use disabling spells such as charm, domination, hold, and wall of force and their magical rings, but if there is no alternative, they will not hesitate to use lethal spells, devices, or weapons. If a Sentinel is seriously endangered, he will flee using his teleport ability. However, soon other Sentinels will arrive to join the fray. The Faerie Ring Located in a clearing of twisted wierwood trees, this ring of bluestone megaliths are covered in a layer of luminescent green mosses and lichen. Pixies, sprites, and faeries of all sorts gather here in great numbers, drawn by the ring. On nights of the full moon, the megaliths form a Gate to the Faerie Realm. Although the Ring itself has powerful innate illusory defensive magics, through the ages a single human or elven guardian has been chosen to guide unwary intruders away from the Ring. The current guardian is Azekiel the Old an incredibly ancient, withered man. Azekiel is centuries old, being magically preserved by the energies of the Ring. His only desire is to find a worthy successor to replace him, so that he may pass on into the afterlife. Category:Forests Category:Locations in Unther Category:Locations in East Faerûn